Several Parish Development Programme Sacco leaders have been arrested and others have fled to Kenya after allegedly embezzling PDM funds in connivance with technical staff in Bukwo District, Sebei sub-region.
The Monitor learnt that Bukwo has received over Shs30 billion since the PDM programme started in 2022, but a big chunk of the money has been misused by Sacco leaders.
Preliminary investigations by police and the office of the Resident District Commissioner reveal that Sacco leaders generate lists of beneficiaries from their parishes, but during payments they edit the details and pay to different mobile numbers known to themselves, not the intended beneficiaries.
Among the worst affected parishes are Mutushet, where Shs50m was embezzled, Kapkumolon with Shs78m, and Kapnaunjiro with Shs35m. All the parishes are in Mutushet Sub-county. Some of the leaders have been arrested and are detained at Bukwo Central Police Station, while others have fled across the border.
The RDC, Mr George Owanyi, told the Monitor on Tuesday that nine suspects, including Sacco chairpersons, treasurers and secretaries, will be arraigned in court unless they refund the embezzled funds.
‘These are the few selfish people who have embezzled the PDM funds. As per the presidential directives, their files are ready and they are going to appear to court and be charged for embezzlement,’ Mr Owanyi said, adding that they are hunting for others still on the run.
He explained that out of 109 parishes in the district, most have already misused the money in the same format.
‘Even those who are on the run are not safe even if they have crossed to Kenya. We are going to pick all of them, because you know where they are,’ he said.
Preliminary investigations also show that Sacco leaders, mostly chairpersons, would be allocated about 10 slots in a single disbursement.
‘If he or she has been given ten slots, he would now get National Identity cards for his children, wives and his friends from other districts to get that money,’ one police officer handling the cases but who preferred anonymity said.
The RDC said the arrested suspects will be interrogated to reveal the identities of the technical staff they worked with to embezzle the funds.
Mr Alex Kiptegei, the sub-county chief of Mutushet Sub-county, said the PDM programme is being complicated by Sacco leaders who do not follow guidelines.
He said Sacco leaders also transfer bulk funds from Sacco accounts contrary to PDM procedures.
‘They transfer lump sum amounts to their own lines. Surprisingly, the question of how they do it is not known to me yet,’ Mr Kiptegei said.
Mr Florence Chebet, a resident of Loch village in Kululu parish, said residents had nowhere to report the fraud.
‘All these monies are shared between the Sacco leaders and their wives, husbands, children and their friends. It is something which has really angered us,’ Ms Chebet said.
During elections for Sacco leaders in Kalulu parish, one secretary confessed before the RDC and other leaders that they had hacked into the system and were able to order disbursement of funds three times.
The district production officer, Mr Franklin Piyo, said rampant ineligible payments have marred the programme.
‘In some parishes payments are made to dead people and some parishes recoveries were made by the Sacco leaders at a short notice against the recommended timeframe. This is the reason we want to clean the programme so it can work as stimulated,’ he said, adding the objective of the programme is to fight household poverty and increase incomes.